NAMPA, Idaho — A day after winning the first NCAA tournament game in program history, the Montana State Billings baseball team dropped two games Friday and saw its season come to an end at the Division II West Regional.
The Yellowjackets, who finished the season with a 33-22 overall record, lost to Northwest Nazarene 10-6 earlier Friday, then were knocked out by Point Loma (Calif.) 5-0 in their second game of the day. Northwest Nazarene and Point Loma will square off Saturday with a Super Regionals bid on the line.
Ryker Fortier with the CATCH OF THE YEAR❗️#msubsports | #msubbaseball pic.twitter.com/z54ihYqk4r
— MSUB Baseball (@MSUBBaseball) May 17, 2025
Against NNU, a four-run ninth inning — including a two-run homer by Bodee Wright — provided a late spark for MSUB but wasn't enough to ignite a full comeback.
Against Point Loma, the Yellowjackets were stymied by Lions starter Branden Jackel and relievers Christian Williams and Michael Sarhatt, who collected seven strikeouts and no walks for a combined shutout.
Zack Blaszak and Ryan Fortier each had thee hits for MSUB in the second game. Fortier also made a highlight-reel catch in left field for the defensive play of the day.
MSUB defeated Point Loma 15-7 on Thursday for the first regional victory in program history.
The Yellowjackets were making their second regional tournament appearance in program history and their first since 2019. They were an at-large selection to the tournament after losing to Northwest Nazarene in the GNAC championship game on May 9.
